The Canary Islands and mainland Spain are some of the most popular holiday destinations for Irish tourists.
But before planning your holiday, it's important to note what travel requirements are currently in place so you don't get caught out last minute.
There are different requirements for passengers travelling to Spain depending on whether or not they hold a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate or equivalent.
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According to the Department of Foreign Affairs website, the following travel requirements are currently in place for Irish people jetting off to Spain:
EU Digital Covid Certificate
If you plan on travelling to Spain with your EU Digital Covid Certificate or equivalent, it must be based on one of the following:
- Vaccination against Covid-19.
- A negative/not-detected Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (including RT-PCR, TMA or LAMP) taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival, or Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) taken no more than 24 hours prior to arrival.
- Recovery from COVID-19.
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Your EU Digital Covid Cert or equivalent must meet one of the following requirements in order to be valid, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs:
- "An EU DCC or equivalent based on vaccination is valid from 14 days after the administration of the last dose of the primary vaccination schedule, and for no more than 270 days from that date. In order to be valid after this period has elapsed, vaccination certificates must reflect the administration of a booster dose, and are valid from the day of administration of the booster dose.
- "Vaccination certificates for those passengers under the age of 18 who have received their full schedule of an approved vaccine do not have an expiry date.
- "An EU DCC or equivalent based on recovery is valid once more than 11 days have elapsed since the first positive test, and for 180 days thereafter.
- "Passengers intending to travel on the basis of an EU DCC or equivalent are advised to consult the official information available in English on the SpTH website. It is the individual passenger’s responsibility to ensure that their EU DCC or equivalent meets the requirements for travel."
Requirements if you do not have an EU DCC or equivalent
Passengers who do not hold an EU DCC or equivalent document must complete the Spain Travel Health (SpTH) Health Control Form before travelling to Spain.
The Department of Foreign Affairs explained: "This form can be completed on the SpTH website or through the SpTH app, which is available for Apple iOS devices and Google/Android devices.
"To complete the SpTH Health Control Form, passengers will be required to manually enter the details of their vaccination, recovery or diagnostic test certificate.
"These passengers may travel by presenting any of the following certificates in paper or electronic format (in Spanish, English, French or German), provided they meet the conditions as outlined in detail in English on the Spain Travel Health website:
- "a certificate of vaccination against COVID-19 with an approved vaccine,
- "a negative/not-detected Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (including RT-PCR, TMA or LAMP) taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival or a Rapid Antigen Detection Test authorised by the European Commission and administered by a healthcare or testing professional, taken no more than 24 hours prior to arrival,
- "a certificate of recovery from COVID-19."
Passengers under the age of 12
Passengers under the age of 12 travelling to Spain are not required to present an EU DCC or complete the SpTH Health Control form.
On arrival into Spain
On arrival into Spain, passengers who have a valid EU DCC or equivalent should follow the orange path to pass through health control points.
Passengers who do not have a valid EU DCC or equivalent should follow the blue path to pass through health control points.
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